January 25, 2014 6:01pm ESTJanuary 25, 2014 6:01pm ESTRajon Rondo is the last star standing, the final link to the Celtics' recent championship past that has quickly eroded the past two offseasons. That fact left his future with the team in question. But it's appearing more and more likely that Rondo will stay in Boston.Boston's Rajon Rondo will be a free agent in the summer of 2015.(AP Photo)

Rajon Rondo is the last star standing, the final link to the Celtics' recent championship past that has quickly eroded the past two offseasons.

That fact left his future with the team in question, with Rondo set to become a free agent after the 2014-15 season. But it's appearing more and more likely that Rondo will stay in Boston, in light of remarks made to ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg.

"I like to stick to the script," Rondo said Friday. "I don't like change much. I wouldn't mind staying here the rest of my career. Things don't always seem to go that way, but like I said before, it's just a business. I wouldn't mind extending another 10 years in Boston."

Rondo's comments came after Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said on Thursday that the team had begun discussing an extension with Rondo (while also intimating that no deal was likely to get done until at least the summer, due to current restrictions set in place by the collective bargaining agreement). Now that the point guard himself has publicly indicated his interest, it seems both parties are in agreement about wanting Rondo to remain a Celtic.

Because of the rebuilding process initiated by management, Rondo had become the subject of rampant trade rumors. A deal to send him out of Boston would fully complete the dismantling of the unit that won one championship in 2007-08 and made another NBA Finals appearance in 2009-10.

First, Ray Allen left via free agency before last season to go chase a few more rings with the Miami Heat. Then, with it quickly becoming clear to Boston management that the team's window of contention was coming to a close with aging stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as the team's centerpieces, general manager Danny Ainge elected to send the pair to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster trade last summer. Celtics coach Doc Rivers, not wanting to be a part of another lengthy team-building process, left to take the Clippers' head coaching job, leaving Boston to essentially start from scratch with new coach Brad Stevens.

But the only thing keeping it from being a complete overhaul was the presence of Rondo, who recently returned to the court after tearing his ACL last season. Boston essentially could go two ways — trade Rondo also for even more assets and salary cap flexibility, or hold onto him as the centerpiece of the next Celtics team to compete once the franchise restocks its talent through the draft and perhaps free agency.

The Celtics have apparently chosen the latter option, and with Rondo publicly on board, the most likeley scenario, at least for now, is that Rondo does end up staying in Boston for years to come.